Page 161 of Unspoken Rules

I feel Chris’s gaze still on me.

Please, just drop it. Drop it.

“Guy probably drove her crazy with how grumpy and uptight he is.”

I ignore the way my heart flips. I loved that on the outside, that’s how everyone sees Cole, but I got all the best parts of him. The soft, caring parts. The happy and smiling ones. The parts that made me fall head over heels in love with him. Parts I wish I never knew because this would all be so much easier.

“Yeah.” The word comes out raspier than it should have. “Are we going to Mila’s today?” I say, needing to change the subject.

“Nah, she’s working. She said maybe tomorrow.”

“Why do you sound so sad about that?”

“Just been thinking a lot.” He shrugs, shifting in his spot on the couch.

I grin. “About Mila?”

He huffs. “About everything. I almost died, Bry. That shit changes you.”

“Well, tell me. What’s up then? With Mila specifically.” I turn to put my back against the arm of the chair and lift my knee up so I can face him. I’m so ready to have this conversation with him.

“I don’t know. I was just wondering if maybe it was time I gave her a chance.”

“Give her a chance? What the hell does that mean?” I blurt out.

“Don’t act like you don’t know,” he mutters, bringing his attention back to the TV. He says watching for too long gives him a headache, but he hates not being able to do anything, so he watches it in spurts.

“Oh, I absolutely know you two have been in love with each other since forever, but what do you mean by giving her a chance? Isn’t she the one who won’t date you?”

He runs his hands over his face, groaning loudly. I can’t help but smirk over making him uncomfortable. But it’s about damn time I get answers on this!

“Okay, wrong choice of words. Maybe I should have said it’s about time I man the fuck up and stop worrying about everyone else and focus on my future. As in dating someone seriously.”

Oh fuck. That’s a lot deeper than I thought he was going.

“That’s why you never dated her?” I ask cautiously.

“I knew if I did, it would be a forever thing. And I wasn’t ready for that. I mean, I still feel like I’m not, but after all this? I wonder if I shouldn’t care so much about everything else.”

I think about that for a moment, wanting to choose my words wisely. What I say could alter his decision.

“I’m the worst person to come to for advice, but I know Mila cares about you a lot. But I also know you hurt her a lot too. Like, a lot, Chris. But she’s Mila. She’s understanding, and you should talk to her about it. Explain it to her. Be honest.”

“I don’t know. Maybe it’s just stupid.” He sinks deeper into his seat.

“Love is never stupid, Chris. Never. If you want to be with Mila, you need to tell her. If she isn’t interested, at least you can say you did your part. All you can do is try.”

He grins, slapping my thigh. “And you said you’re the worst person to give advice? That sounds pretty smart to me.”

“Yeah, well. Heartbreak does that to you,” I mumble.

“Who broke your heart?”

Fuck. I did it again.

Chris being his old self makes it really difficult to not speak my mind. Before Cole, I told Chris everything. We were close. Everything happened so easily with us. We were open books with the other. I knew there was never a thing I would say that he would judge. Not until it came to Cole.

“Hold on a fucking minute,” he says.

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